


Collision

by Panthera_tigris



Series: Quantum Entanglement [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Infidelity, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 00:23:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20684420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panthera_tigris/pseuds/Panthera_tigris
Summary: Rhys falls hard for his physics teacher. Too bad he's married.





	Collision

**Author's Note:**

> sort of prequel to no glove, no love

Fuck physics.

Like, literally fuck physics.

  
Rhys crumpled up his freshly printed class schedule with one hand and tossed it in a nearby trashcan with vigor.

  
Wait, no. He needed that. Rhys let out a defeated sigh and reached back to retrieve the offending wad of paper. After flicking off a stray piece of macaroni with a frown, Rhys smoothed out the crinkled paper enough to read the small lettering of room numbers and times.

  
Who do guidance counselors think they are anyways? Not once has he actually been guided nor counseled effectively by the whole lot of them. And now with only with only one semester left, they were suddenly telling him that his course load was too "decidedly monochromatic" to get the scholarship he was applying for, as they put it. Rhys will admit that his classes have a sort of theme to them- generally only math, english and history classes (with the odd requirement like gym and computer science thrown in here and there). But that's what the business programs he wanted to get into wanted anyways! Apparently the sciences are like the shit now, so every third party scholarship required at least a class or two in a science.

  
But of course because guidance counselors apparently like waiting until the last minute, there was only a single science class left with a seat open: Introduction to Physical Concepts. Which was apparently just the fancy way of saying physics for idiots.

  
So now Rhys was marching down to the science wing of the building that he didn't exactly frequent to find the classroom of one Dr. Eleanor Williams. Rhys climbed the secluded stairwell in the science wing, only passing a handful of students on his way up to the second floor, even though it was the first day back from Winter break and the campus was absolutely buzzing with activity. After climbing the stairs Rhys made his way down the hall to room 247- his boots squeaking slightly against the freshly waxed tile floor. About halfway down the hall, Rhys came to the right door. Except the lights were off in the room and a small note was taped to the window with scrawled handwriting '1:15 Physics moved to room 140'.

  
Fuck everything.

  
Rhys turned on his heel with a particularly loud squeak and headed back towards the stairwell. Well, if he wasn't already late then he would be now. Out of spite Rhys refused to move faster than a brisk walk. If he was going to phone this class in then he may as well start now. How ironically proactive.

  
By the time he made it down the stairs and to the proper classroom, he was probably a good five minutes late when he entered the classroom.

  
"You're late, you know." A voice sounded from the front of the room. Rhys found the source easily enough, the man's large back facing him as he scrawled something on the whiteboard. It was just a guess but Rhys was like ninety percent sure that this purple button-up adorned, muscles magoo was most likely not the frail old Dr. Eleanor Williams that was described to him.

  
"Yeah, sorry." Rhys cleared his throat. "I was in the guidance office and then with the whole classroom move…"

  
The man looked over his shoulder to glance at him and Rhys could swear that the guy's breath hitched slightly when they met eyes. But if he were to be completely honest, Rhys' own breath most definitely hitched. Not just because Rhys could tell his eyes were different colors, just like his own- but that goddamn this guy was hot. The hot dude at the whiteboard cleared his throat and recovered quickly enough.

  
"Just don't let it happen again, alright cupcake?" The guy said over his shoulder, turning back to writing. "There's a seat free up in the front row."

  
Rhys grimaced to himself. Usually Rhys was more of a back-row-sitter then the front row, but if it meant he could stare at this guy's face more easily for the rest of class then screw it. Rhys stalked up to the front end of the room and pulled out the seat the guy had gestured to. Once seated Rhys reached into his messenger bag to pull out a new notebook and a pen. When he looked up, he noticed that the man at the whiteboard was watching him again. Thankfully, class hadn't really started yet so the other students in the room were oblivious to their wordless interaction.

  
"Alright, kiddos. Welcome to the magic of physics." He announced, gathering everyone's attention in a pleasing baritone. "I am obviously not Dr. Williams, as you may have noticed. The name is Mr. Lawrence, or just Jack if you're feeling frisky. Just don't tell anyone you call me Jack around here, the PTA will get all peeved at me."

  
The girl next to Rhys raised her hand in the air and Mr. Lawrence/Jack nodded for her to speak up.

  
"Where's Dr. Williams, exactly?" She piped up.

  
"Good question blondie." Jack clapped his hands together before pantomiming a pregnant belly with his hands. "The wonderful Eleanor Williams is with child. I lost a bet. And thus I took over the class for her. Any other questions? No? Good."

  
And with that Mr. Lawrence launched into a discussion about syllabi and the semester schedule. Rhys thought he noticed the other man watching him again. He felt a heat flare up in his chest each time they accidentally met eyes. The teacher turned to the board to write something and the gold band on his ring finger caught the light and something in Rhys' brain short circuited.

>><<

  
A week into the class and Rhys was already fucking lost. Jack seemed to be a great teacher so far, but every time the teen was in the same room with the man his stomach would decide to do cartwheels while his brain wandered off into less than innocent territory.

  
The first Friday afternoon, Jack gave him a nonchalant "Stay after class" when handing back assignments. Rhys panicked more than he'd like to admit.  
Eventually when the rest of the class was dismissed, Rhys remained in his seat twiddling his thumbs and bouncing his leg. Jack was at his desk packing up assignments and print-outs into various folders. A moment later when the room was cleared, Jack dragged a chair around to the other side of Rhys' desk and folded his hands on the table surface.

  
"So what's up, pumpkin?" The older man asked. Rhys felt his heart flutter at the pet name, even though he seemed to have nicknames for everyone in the school.

  
"H-huh?" Rhys stammered out. Smooth Rhys.

  
"You haven't turned in everything you're supposed to this week and the stuff you have turned in has not been fabulous, I'll admit." Jack sighed, leaning back in his chair and putting his legs up on Rhys' desk only inches away from the younger man. Rhys swallowed thickly and stared at Jack's shoes for a moment.

  
"Uh, yeah." Rhys coughed. "I'm just having some issues with the material. I'm not much of a science guy."

  
"Then why are ya here, cupcake?" Jack chuckled and gestured to Rhys' mechanical arm. "Is it because of that? If so that is super cool you wanna learn more about the mechanisms."  
Rhys contracted his metal arm towards himself instinctually- an action that didn't go unnoticed by the older man.

  
"Still fresh, huh?" Jack asked, to which Rhys replied with a short nod. "Can I ask what happened?"

  
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." The teenager said pointing to the lavender scar that crossed the elder's face, after thinking a few moments. The older man's face fell for a fraction of a second before coming back with a beaming smile.

  
"Maybe one day, eh pumpkin?' Jack chuckled and quickly changed the subject. "So yeah, what's up then?"

  
"Nothing really." Rhys mumbled. "I just kind of got shoved into this class and it's not quite my speed. I'm more of a math and history kind of guy."

  
"Well to be honest, physics is kind of just sciencey math." Jack shrugged. "If you can understand the equations that are involved, then the conceptual stuff follows pretty easily."  
Rhys seemed to consider what his teacher said for a moment.

  
"I mean I could tutor you." Jack blurted out rather suddenly but recovered equally as quickly. "What I mean is, we could meet after school in this room and go over stuff, if you want. I just don't want you to fall behind so early in the semester."

  
Rhys tried his utmost to not react to Jack's suggestion immediately because it would probably be something akin to a squeal. He took a slow few breaths before nodding his head.  
"Good!" Jack grinned, wide and toothy. "But it's Friday and I got somewhere to be. So why don't you scoot outta here and we'll reconvene on Monday?"

  
"Yeah, sure. I'll see you Monday, I guess." Rhys smiled back, grabbing his messenger bag with a wave.

  
"See ya, Rhysie." Jack waved back and Rhys could have sworn he felt Jack's eyes on his ass as he walked out.

**Author's Note:**

> its finally happened omg  
hows everyone liking bl3?


End file.
